Squash & Butter Chicken Recipe With A Secret Ingredient

When you have a teen in swimming competitions and music band plus a daughter practicing hip hop and  taking swimming lessons, you don’t have much time for cooking. Dinners must be ready in less than 30 minutes. Sometimes 15  if you have a snow storm on your doorstop. That’s why I cook a lot with Patak’s s sauces. They are blended in a such a way to release flavour and taste in around 15 minutes. Add meat and vegetables and your dinner is set. If you have extra time, you can also use the paste. It does not mean I don’t use the paste, I do use it. But first do you know the difference between a Paste and a Sauce?

Paste or Sauce: When and how?

Sauce

As I mentioned above, a sauce releases the flavour in a short period of time. I use it on those extra speedy days where I need to feed the kids in a short period of time. With the sauce, I don’t have to add any cream or extra ingredients. I love using it in a Butter chicken recipe. It is easy and delicious.

Paste

I use Curry Paste a lot in my soups as they simmer. I also use it in my marinades as the flavor is released to the fullest.  In Patak’s pastes, the spices are ground for you then blended with oil. You need to let them simmer for a longer time than the sauce (between 15 minutes and 30 minutes). Pastes do take extra time to simmer but the result is as delicious as the sauce. You can control the quantity of spice you add into your dish: I usually add an extra spoon of curry paste in my dishes or even use them as a dip as I love spicy food. I cannot do this with the sauce.

For more details about sauce and pastes, check Patak’s Canada website.

Squash and Butter Chicken Recipe with Patak’s sauce

The following squash and butter chicken recipe can be used with both a sauce and paste. I used the sauce as I was running short on time and I did not have cream to add to the paste. If you want to use the paste, check the detailed Butter Chicken recipe . I tried it few days later with a paste and it is as delicious and creamy. So let’s see how you can mix in a Little India in your dish.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium chicken breasts, diced
• 1 jar Patak’s Light Butter Chicken Sauce 
• 1 cup of diced Butternut squash

Make it

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. Dice two medium chicken breasts & pan fry until meat is sealed and browned (approx. 3–4 min).
3. Add the squash and let it cook for few extra minutes
4. Pour the Patak’s sauce over the meat and squash and stir to mix well & simmer for 15 min, stirring occasionally
5. Serve over rice or with Naan bread.

Results

The original recipe from Patak’s Canada did not require squash but I had some on hand. I figured it is a great way to get the family to eat vegetables. Besides when mixed with the sauces, it looks almost like chicken. So I did not have to bribe them to eat the squash. My daughter said it was the best chicken ever (referring to the squash) and my teen son noticed a difference but thought it was sweet potato. In the end, they almost fought for the dish. It was creamy, a tiny bit spicy but not much for the kids and perfect for those freezing winter days. This is why I love Indian food: it adds flavour to the dishes in a short amount of time.

Need more inspiration and recipes to try? Visit GoodKorma.ca

 

Which would you use in the butter chicken recipe? Sauce or paste? How about both?

I am part of the Patak’s Canada ambassador program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions are this blog are my own.